Coatings and additives containing ceramic material

ABSTRACT

A coating for support beams in buildings to protect their structural integrity in case of high heat events, for roofs and the like to inexpensively provide protection from ultraviolet light, for wood or steel substrates to inexpensively provide flame or chemical resistance respectively, and for protection of various other building substrates. The coating comprises an adhesive and a recycled ceramic powder and may also comprise a recycled granular ceramic material. An additive to sealants, caulking, and other construction materials to inexpensively provide improved fire resistance and insulation and other enhanced properties. The additive comprises a recycled ceramic powder and may also comprise a recycled granular ceramic material.

The present invention relates generally to coatings such as for roofsand for structural supports and additives for various building materialsand other applications in the building industry.

On Sep. 11, 2001, the twin towers of the World Trade Center were felledby large fuel-laden commercial aircraft guided into the upper portionsthereof. The towers were sufficiently well constructed that the force ofimpact did not cause the buildings to immediately fall, and they stoodfor on the order of an hour. However, the tremendous heat from theburning of the jet fuel caused steel supports within the towers to reachtemperatures in the range of 800 degrees C. thereby weakening thesupports with the result that the towers ultimately collapsed. Astructural engineer, Chris Wise, is quoted in “How the World TradeCenter Fell,” BBC News, Sep. 13, 2001, as follows:

-   -   It was the fire that killed the buildings—nothing on earth could        survive those temperatures with that amount of fuel burning.

Each tower had a central core comprising concrete-clad steel beamsrunning vertically there through, and each floor had horizontal steelsupports tied to the vertical beams. The concrete cladding on thevertical beams would have provided protection for only a limited time.The horizontal steel supports or beams were covered with fireproofingmaterial, and the fireproofing may or may not have been of sufficientquality to protect the horizontal beams from the heat of the burning jetfuel. However, it is Applicant's understanding that, in the floors nearthe points of impact, the fireproofing was “blown off” by the forces ofimpact of the planes thereby exposing the horizontal steel beams to theextreme heat. Thus, as the temperature of the insufficiently protectedsteel beams approached 800 degrees C., the upper portions of thevertical beams and the horizontal beams in the upper floors began losingstructural integrity (weakening) so that upper floors began collapsingonto floors below. Increasingly massive forces were exerted on weakeningfloors below by the weight of the collapsing floors above, with theresult that each of the towers collapsed entirely.

Ceramic or refractory materials are commonly used, among otherapplications, in the form of blocks as linings of furnaces. When it isnecessary to re-line a furnace, the ceramic blocks are removed andtypically discarded to a landfill and replaced with new ceramic blocksmade from a ceramic material such as alumina oxide, zircon, silica, ormagnesia oxide. Sometimes, the ceramic blocks may be recycled bycrushing them to form gravel which is then pulverized, and new ceramicblocks made therefrom.

Gunite materials, in the form of high pressure concrete mixes of cement,sand or crushed slag, and water, and the like have been sprayed overreinforcements. Ceramic materials have been used with an adhesivematerial as coatings and have been used as additives in the buildingindustry. For example, roof cap sheets have been coated with 6 to 20mesh quartz, and roof composite sheets have been coated with acrylic oralumina oxide in gravel form to protect against the effects ofultraviolet light. Not only are the use of ceramic materialsprohibitively expensive but these applications do not adequately protectthe roofs from the damaging effects of ultraviolet light since thecoatings leave spaces between the ceramic particles through whichultraviolet rays can penetrate to the substrate.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide adequateinsulation for steel beams in buildings to withstand the heatencountered by the twin towers and which remains in tact during the typeof impact encountered by the twin towers.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a coating forroofs and the like which is effective to protect the substrate from thedamaging effects of ultraviolet light so that the roof life may beincreased from perhaps 10 years to perhaps 20 to 30 years.

It is another object of the present invention to provide such coatingsat a favorable price.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a coating forwood substrates which provides flame resistance.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a coatingfor steel substrates which provides chemical resistance.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a ceramicmaterial as an additive to sealants, caulking, and the like to provideimproved fire resistance and insulation and other desirable propertiesbut at a favorable price.

In order to provide adequate insulation for steel beams in buildings towithstand the heat encountered by the twin towers and which remains intact during the type of impact encountered by the twin towers, a coatingof ceramic material and an adhesive is applied to the beams.

In order to provide an inexpensive ceramic coating, in accordance withthe present invention, the coating is composed of an adhesive and arecycled ceramic material.

In order to provide an inexpensive ceramic additive, in accordance withthe present invention, the additive is composed of recycled ceramicmaterial.

In order to provide a ceramic coating which provides effectiveprotection against the effects of ultraviolet light, the coating iscomposed of an adhesive material and ceramic material comprising ceramicgravel and ceramic powder.

The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the presentinvention will be apparent in the following detailed description of thepreferred embodiment thereof when read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings wherein the same reference numerals denote thesame or similar parts throughout the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a combination block and schematic view illustrating a portionof a roof cap and a method of making thereof which embody the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is schematic perspective view of a building which embodies thepresent invention.

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section view, taken along lines 3-3 of FIG. 2, ofa vertical support column, having vertical support members, for thebuilding.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of the vertical supportcolumn.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a floor of the building, illustratinghorizontal support members as well as the vertical support memberstherefor.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view of one of the vertical orhorizontal support members.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown at 12 a portion of a roof cap sheet(composed conventionally of fiberglass, asphalt, or other suitablematerial) to the upper surface of which a coating, illustrated at 10,has been applied. The coating 10 comprises a ceramic material 14 mixedinto a suitable adhesive, illustrated at 16, such as, for example, asodium silicate or mastics or any other suitable adhesive. After theadhesive has hardened, the ceramic material 14 is retained in place onthe surface of the substrate 18. Although the substrate 18 is describedas a roof cap sheet, it should be understood that it may be any othersuitable substrate, such as wood or steel or other metals or concrete,suitable for application of the coating.

For the purposes of this specification and the claims, the term“ceramic” is defined as a refractory material such as used in liningfurnaces and for other heat resistance purposes and is meant to include,but is not limited to, alumina oxide (including alumina silica andalloys of alumina such as mullite and alumina containing clays), zircon(including zirconia), silica (both crystalline and amorphous, forexample, fume silica, and including alloys of oxides such as alumina andtitania with the major phase being silica), and magnesia or periclase(both fused and dead burned and including alloys of magnesia such asdolomite and chrome). Alumina oxide, also known as corundum, is meant toinclude all naturally occurring and processed alumina, fused, calcined,and tabular and alumina contained in by-products including dustcollector fines and sweepings.

Conventional coatings of quartz or other ceramic material of a size onthe order of 6 to 20 mesh in an adhesive do not adequately protect thesubstrate against the damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation due tothe large spaces between the portions of ceramic material allowingpenetration of ultraviolet rays to the substrate. In order to provide aneffective barrier to ultraviolet radiation penetration to the substrate,in accordance with the present invention, the ceramic material iscomposed of a fine powder ceramic material, illustrated at 22, so as tocompletely cover the substrate. Preferably, the ceramic material iscomposed of a coarse granular ceramic material, illustrated at 20, inaddition to the powder material 22 in order to provide greater density,increased strength, fire resistance, and insulation as well as a gritappearance. By “powder” is meant, for the purposes of this specificationand the claims, a material comprising particles having a size of about45 mesh or finer or otherwise being of such a small size as to becapable of being suspended in air. The granular material may includeparticles, illustrated at 24, having a size of around 6 to 30 mesh, orlarger pieces of gravel, illustrated at 26, which may have a size ofabout ⅜ to ½ inch tumbled (to remove rough edges) or discrete pieces ofmaterial having any other suitable size suitable for the application. By“granular” is meant, for the purposes of this specification and theclaims, particles which have a size greater than about 30 mesh.

In order to apply the coating 10, a layer of adhesive 16 may optionallyfirst be applied to the substrate 18, then the granular particles, whichmay be either particles 24 or gravel 26 or both, are placed uniformlyonto the adhesive, and finally the powder material 22 is uniformlysprayed onto the substrate 18 along with more of the adhesive 16 tothereby fully blanket the substrate with ceramic material, i.e., theceramic powder is dispersed in the adhesive in a sufficient quantity toprovide complete coverage of the portion of the substrate 18 to whichthe coating 10 is applied, to thereby fully protect against the damagingeffects of ultraviolet radiation. Alternatively, both the granularparticles 24 and powder material 22 may be sprayed onto the substratewith an adhesive-together (and, if desired, gravel 26 laid loosely ontothe substrate before spraying), or other suitable means may be used toapply the coating 10. Such a coating may be applied to roofing shingles,roof cap sheets, or composite roofing sheets at the factory or in thefield. As a result, such a solid ceramic roof may have a much longerlife, perhaps 20 to 30 years instead of 10 years, be uniform forimproved appearance and with no exposed joints, and, alsoadvantageously, it is unnecessary to use hot asphalt. Further, thecoating 10 may be sprayed on quickly to save labor costs.

Other construction materials may be similarly coated in order to provideultraviolet radiation protection, heat insulation (resistance to heat),as described hereinafter in greater detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to6, or other forms of protection. Thus, wood structures may be coatedwith a suitable number of coats of the coating 10 to add insulationvalue and to prevent flame from breaking down the wood and thus providea better fire rating to a structure. Steel or other metallic structuressuch as steel piping and metal roof decks may be coated with the coating10 to provide chemical resistance (as well as corrosion and ultravioletradiation). The coating 10 may be applied to the top of decks forinsulation value and to the bottom thereof for fire resistance. Thecoating may be applied to flashings (to stabilize corners) to provide animproved appearance and better fire ratings as well as to save the timeand labor required in otherwise preparing the flashings conventionally,i.e., one need only spray on the coating 10 and “walk away” to do otherwork. Various other uses for the coating 10 may be found in theconstruction trades, and such other uses are meant to come within thescope of the present invention.

More and more, it is being demanded that insulation R values be raisedfrom 15 up to 30. However, it has been difficult to do so due to theundesirably increased thickness of conventional insulation. The coatingof the present invention advantageously allows the insulation thicknessto remain relatively thin (on the order of 60 mils).

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 6, there is shown generally at 50 a buildingwhich, like the twin towers of the World Trade Center, has a pluralityof floors, illustrated at 52. A central support core 54 runs verticallythrough the building 50. The core 54 includes a plurality of verticalsteel supports or beams 56 encased in concrete cladding or covering 58.Each of the floors 52 has a plurality of horizontal steel supports orbeams 60 each suitably tied to one of the vertical beams 56 such as, forexample, by welding or bolting to brackets (not shown) attached to thevertical beams. The floors 52 are finished therefrom in accordance withprinciples commonly known to those of ordinary skill in the art to whichthe present invention pertains.

FIG. 6 shows a fragment of one of the horizontal supports 60. In orderto provide adequate insulation to protect the support 60 from weakeningat the extreme heat encountered in the twin towers collapse and toprevent the insulation from becoming blown off or otherwise removedduring a high impact such as experienced by the twin towers, inaccordance with the present invention, the support 60 is provided withthe coating 10 of ceramic material 14 (which may provide fireproofing upto about 4,000 degrees F.) and the adhesive 16 so as to provide a hardcoat which does not easily come off. The ceramic material 14 preferablyincludes the granular particles 20 overcoated with the powder material20 so as to provide uniformity at less cost. The vertical beams 56and/or the concrete cladding 58 as well as other structural supports inthe building 50 may be similarly coated.

The ceramic material 14 may also be provided as an additive to variousconstruction materials to enhance the properties thereof. Thus, theceramic material 14 may be added to, for example, sealants (for example,for sealing of concrete floors, walls, and ceilings), stucco, andcaulking to provide fire resistance, insulation value, and increasedstrength. The ceramic material additive 14 may comprise the powder 22or, if desired to provide a grit look as well as increased strength,fire resistance, and insulation, granular particles 20 in addition to orinstead of the powder.

New ceramic materials are too expensive for practical and competitiveapplication in the construction industry as described above. However,ceramic materials are commonly discarded to landfills. Thus, byrecycling the used ceramic materials for use in the coatings andadditives of the present invention, the cost may be substantiallyreduced so that it is practical and competitive while providing animproved product. Therefore, in accordance with a preferred embodimentof the present invention, the ceramic material 14 is recycled, i.e.,formed or collected from ceramic material which has been previously usedfor any purpose such as the lining of furnaces. Thus, illustrated at 30is a portion of a wall of a furnace which contains blocks 32 of ceramicmaterial. From time to time, the furnace must be re-lined with theresult that the blocks 32 are removed. The removed used blocks 32 aretypically obtainable at no cost except transportation costs. In order torecycle the blocks 32, they may first be placed in a conventional jawcrusher, as illustrated at 34, to compress and shatter them to therebyform the gravel 26. The gravel 26 is then placed in a conventionalpulverizer, as illustrated at 38, to form a mixture of the granularparticles 24 and the powder 22. The granular particles 24 and the powder22 are then separated by use of a screen 40, as illustrated at 42, of asize wherein the powder 22 falls through the screen 40 and the granularparticles 24 do not fall through the screen 40. This inexpensive processfor recycling the ceramic material is conventional in the art for thepurpose of providing ceramic blocks for lining of furnaces and allowsthe ceramic material to be provided inexpensively. However, any othersuitable process for recycling the ceramic material may be used.

The use of the inexpensive recycled ceramic material in the coatings andadditives of the present invention allows its use to be sufficientlyinexpensive as to be practical and competitive in the building industry(while providing superior building structures) while also helping topreserve the environment.

It should be understood that, while the present invention has beendescribed in detail herein, the invention can be embodied otherwisewithout departing from the principles thereof, and such otherembodiments are meant to come within the scope of the present inventionas defined by the appended claims.

1. A building comprising a plurality of floors, beams supporting thefloors, and a coating composition on at least one of said beams, saidcoating composition comprising ceramic material and an adhesive.
 2. Abuilding according to claim 1 wherein said beams are composed of steel.3. A building according to claim 1 wherein said beams are composed ofmetal.
 4. A building according to claim 1 wherein said ceramic materialis recycled ceramic material.
 5. A building according to claim 1 whereinsaid ceramic material is made from used furnace lining.
 6. A buildingaccording to claim 1 wherein said ceramic material comprises granularceramic material and ceramic powder, said ceramic powder being dispersedin said adhesive in a sufficient quantity to provide complete coveragewith ceramic material of a portion of said beam to which said coatingcomposition is applied.
 7. A roof portion for a building, the roofportion comprising a plurality of roofing sheets and an ultravioletlight protective coating composition on said roofing sheets, saidcoating composition comprising ceramic material and an adhesive, saidceramic material including ceramic powder dispersed in said adhesive ina sufficient quantity to provide complete coverage with said ceramicmaterial of said roofing sheets.
 8. A roof portion according to claim 7wherein said ceramic material is recycled ceramic material.
 9. A roofportion according to claim 7 wherein said ceramic material is made fromused furnace lining.
 10. A roof portion according to claim 7 whereinsaid ceramic material further includes granular ceramic material.
 11. Anarticle for assembling with other articles for constructing a building,the article comprising a structural member of the building and a coatingcomposition applied to said structural member, said coating compositioncomprising granular ceramic material, ceramic powder, and an adhesive,said ceramic powder being dispersed in said adhesive in a sufficientquantity to provide complete coverage with said ceramic material of aportion of said structural member to which said coating composition isapplied.
 12. An article according to claim 11 wherein said granularceramic material and said ceramic powder are made from used furnacelining.
 13. An article according to claim 11 wherein said granularceramic material and said ceramic powder are recycled.
 14. A materialused in construction, the material being one of a sealant, stucco, andcaulking, the material including an additive comprising a quantity ofceramic material.
 15. A material according to claim 14 wherein saidceramic material is made from used furnace lining.
 16. A materialaccording to claim 14 wherein said ceramic material comprises ceramicpowder.
 17. A material according to claim 14 wherein said ceramicmaterial further comprises granular ceramic material.
 18. A method ofenhancing properties of a material used in construction comprisingapplying to the material a quantity of ceramic material which is madefrom used furnace lining.
 19. A method according to claim 18 furthercomprising selecting the ceramic material to include ceramic powder. 20.A method according to claim 18 wherein the material is one of a sealant,stucco, and caulking.
 21. A coating composition for a substrate, thecoating composition comprising ceramic material and an adhesive, saidceramic material including ceramic powder, wherein said ceramic materialis made from used furnace lining, said ceramic powder being dispersed inthe adhesive in a sufficient quantity to provide complete coverage withsaid ceramic material of a portion of substrate to which said coatingcomposition is applied.
 22. A coating composition according to claim 21wherein said ceramic material further includes granular ceramicmaterial.
 23. A method of enhancing properties of a structural memberportion comprising making recycled ceramic material from used furnacelining and applying a coating of the recycled ceramic material and anadhesive to the structural member portion, the method further comprisingselecting the recycled ceramic material to include ceramic powderwherein the ceramic powder is applied in a sufficient quantity in theadhesive to provide complete coverage of the structural member portionwith ceramic material, and the method further comprises allowing theadhesive to harden.
 24. A method according to claim 23 furthercomprising selecting the recycled ceramic material to also includegranular ceramic material.
 25. A method according to claim 24 whereinthe step of applying a coating comprises firstly applying the adhesiveto the structural member portion, then applying the granular ceramicmaterial to the adhesive, then spraying the ceramic powder mixed withadhesive onto the structural member portion.